Background info:
Before applying makeup, you should wash your face. If you want to be extra careful of your skin, use a toner or exfoliate. Also, cleanse your eyelids if they are oily. Most people tend to forget that their eyelids produce oil too!
This will cause your eyeshadow to crease later on in the day. Leaving an undesirable look. For some examples of makeup removers/toners/exfoliators go here. Then apply makeup or primer on the face. Most suggest primers for those with dry skin and moisturizers for those with oily skin type.
This is simply because primers are designed to minimize pores. Therefore it is best not to use on oily skin, which tends to be naturally less porous. Moisturizers are designed for hydration, which you need regardless of your skin type.
After that exfoliate any flaky dry patches if they exist. This will help with applying the foundation much more smoothly and evenly.
Basic Foundation Application:
Note: foundations vary in texture so some may be thicker or creamier than others may. So follow the product’s instructions when it comes to how much is to be applied/blended in at once! Too much foundation can look caked on and too little will not even out the complexion enough. A good rule of thumb is to apply a small amount in circular motions until you get to the final desired coverage.
Stippling Brush:
Foundation brush:
Here is a way to use the foundation brush to achieve perfect coverage 🙂
Blend in your foundation with clean fingers or a sponge. Tap and push around/into areas that need more coverage (like blemishes, dark circles under eyes). After this, set it with powder (I like to first apply concealer and then powder for extra coverage) using a powder puff applicator or setting/finishing spray if you wish.
Concealer Application:
Note: Before applying any concealer over your acne/problematic spots. Always make sure those areas are properly treated as discussed earlier (cleansed, toned, exfoliated, etc.)! This will make concealing your pimples easier and less noticeable.
Many people use the same type of brush for both concealer and foundation. But I find that this doesn’t give me enough coverage around my acne/problematic areas (especially when I need to do touch-ups throughout the day) so I like to use two separate brushes – one for each product.
Using a thin angled brush, (I used an elf brow shaping brush), apply concealer over any dark circles under the eyes, blemishes, etc. For blemishes, you can either use concealer or try out color-correcting products. Then, use a fluffy domed-shaped blending/powder brush (like Sigma’s F05 or Eco tools’ blush brush). Blend everything in with circular motions.
When applying makeup, it is best to start with the lightest shade of foundation and concealer (unless you fall in one of these categories: either very pale or tan/dark) – this will help prevent looking like an Oomph Loma later on when the color oxidizes.
Something I do whenever I wear a full face of makeup, whether it is 10 or 50 shades of beige, is apply setting powder over everything before heading out. I use Elf’s HD Powder in “Sheer” which has no flashback when taking flash photography (which used to be a huge problem for me!) so if you are worried about your makeup not looking right under bright lights or when photographed, this is the perfect powder to use.
I have noticed that when applying makeup in natural (indoor) lighting. Your makeup looks much truer to color when photographed under bright/flash lighting. So, if you are planning on taking photos in brighter conditions later on or anytime soon. I would recommend using actual flash photography setting powder such as Makeup Forever’s HD Microfinish Powder. This will give you a matte finish and minimize flashback!
*Before applying foundation/concealer
*After applying foundation, concealer & setting powder
*Face before application of any BB Creams or Foundations Of course, there are many other aspects to makeup application. But I hope my advice is useful to those of you who are starting with makeup and need some help!
I’m not a professional by any means, but if anyone has any questions about any of the products mentioned above or anything related to makeup/skincare. Please don’t hesitate to leave me a comment or PM me. 🙂
In addition, I would love to hear about your favorite looks for spring – whether it be something simple like nude lips/dramatic eyes or a smoky eye look with bright red lips 🙂
If you have an article that you would like me to do for next Friday’s post or if there are other topics, you want covering in this series – Please let me know in the comments!
*Face after application of BB Creams/Foundations, without any powder
*Face after application of BB Creams/Foundations, with powder for extra coverage
*MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural – Light Applied over foundation
*Mac Pro Longwear Concealer in NW20 applied over acne spots and under eyes. I recommend applying concealer before setting powder so you can build up the coverage where needed!